 SHAH ALAM, April 14 — Selangor MB Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said today that the large pay hikes for those holding public office in the state have been scaled back sharply and the savings channelled into a welfare fund for state residents. The announcement will likely go some way to appease the public which had been shocked to learn last year that public officials in the state would get pay hikes of up to 400 per cent. Under the revised scheme today, Khalid will forgo a pay increase that would have more than doubled his monthly salary to RM29,250. His salary will stay at RM14,175.15. Speaker Hannah Yeoh’s monthly salary will rise from RM6,109.29 to RM15,000 instead of RM22,500 as previously planned. Deputy Speaker Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad’s salary will rise from RM3,327.50 to RM12,000 instead of RM15,750. State executive councillors’ salaries will rise from RM6,109.29 to RM15,000 instead of RM20,250. But no revisions will be made to the pay hikes for members of the state assembly. Their salaries went up to RM11,250 from RM6,000 as planned. Khalid later told reporters that the new pay scale took effect since this January 1. On November 27 last year, Khalid announced salary increases for himself, the state speaker and deputy speaker, state executive councillors, as well as assemblymen, by up to 400 per cent to mark Selangor’s healthy finances. The increase was passed unanimously by the Selangor legislative assembly last year. The announcement sparked uproar from both sides of the political divide. Many felt the pay hikes were excessive. Today, Selangor Opposition Leader Datuk Mohd Shamsudin Lias questioned the state government’s decision to roll back the pay hike, suggesting that Khalid had caved in to “pressure” from state economic adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Mohd Shamsudin also noted that Khalid’s administration would have taken into account the need to raise monthly wages to reflect the position of the state administrators, pointing out that the state finances were healthy. Instead of seeking an additional RM5.9 million for the pay rise and to subsequently channel parts of it to the welfare fund, Mohd Shamsudin said the Selangor government should have made a specific allocation for welfare in the budget itself. “In just a blink of an eye, when there is pressure, then we revise our position without valid reasons. “If the allocation is intended to be channelled to the public, why not put it into the budget directly so that we are not said to be putting on a play, “ the Barisan Nasional (BN) Sungai Burong assemblyman said during debates on the supplementary budget of over RM490 million. When debating the bill, Lau Weng San (Kampung Tunku-DAP) also said the move to scale back the pay hike raised questions on whether the principle of separation of powers would be breached. Highlighting that public office holders in Selangor now have salaries that trail behind the country’s judges’, Lau voiced concern that it would cause an “imbalance” in their powers and influence. “In my opinion, the salaries of the three arms of the government should be maintained at similar levels,” he said. He also said the change in the final salary amount could go against the sanctity of law. “It has become a valid law but now with the decision of the exco, it is changed,” he said, noting that the state legislative body and subsequently the state ruler had approved the pay hike before it was gazetted as law. Lau also said the diversion of savings from the scaled pay hike to the welfare fund could be seen as amounting to “forced” charity, saying that such acts should be carried out voluntarily instead. MMail
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